HAIR

August 22, 2015

10 Things You Should Know About Faux Locs

NOTE: This was previously blogged on African Naturalistas, but I'm providing an updated post.

It seems like everywhere you turn to now, there are people rocking faux locs, whether they use wool, yarn, or kinky braiding hair. There are different arrays of colors from regular black to blonde, and I even saw blue on Instagram early this week. I think that Faux Locs are having a moment! But before you rush off to get yours done, there are a few things you should know.

They take some getting used to. When you first install them, they are pretty hard/stiff and uncomfortable. It takes a few days or even up to 2 weeks for them to loosen up. It took about a week for me to sleep comfortably after I had mine installed. The first few days, I almost had to sleep on my face because of the discomfort of lying on my back.

They can be heavy, which could have damaging effects on your hair. Mine are quite heavy - I was told to do a fewer number of strands but I was stubborn and insisted on 80-85 strands. Because they're heavy, it puts a strain on my neck when I try to pack it up in a bun or updo. My advice would be to go for thinner, shorter strands.

The locs can loosen and unravel with time, so make sure you keep an eye on the tips and wherever the wrapped hair meets the end of your own hair (I'm not sure I'm explaining it well).

You still have to take care of your scalp by cleaning and oiling, and spraying your hair to get some moisture into your own natural hair. This also applies if you attempt to cleanse your scalp with cotton wool or wipes - unbeknownst to me, little frizz balls of cotton wound up all over my head!

If you burn the tips of your locs, wear clothes that will not get caught in the burned ends. I almost ruined a new dress because the fabric was really light and I wore it a few days after getting the locs in.

Pay attention to your edges. I've seen more than a few people complain that they got traction alopecia after having faux locs. I think my edges have had issues for years, so I can't say that the faux locs did anything to them. Be sure that your baby hairs are left alone! You can always brush or gel them down.

They can be expensive to install!!! Let's not even bring in the charge for the service - just looking at the amount of hair you need... I used about 7 packs of hair for mine.

They are VERY low maintenance. It was nice having to not worry about how to style the hair because it was already done. All you need to make sure of is your regular spraying with a moisturizing mix.

It's such a fabulous style! I really enjoyed the way it looked, and pretended to be an exotic, regal African Queen :)

I plan on having faux locs installed this weekend. I tried it last year and carried it for three months. It sure stretched my hair so I'm hoping for the same thing. Only problem I have is I forget to care for my natural hair cos it's protected. Shame on me .Thanks for the tips Berry.